


Must Be the Building Settling

by HildegardBi



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-29
Updated: 2019-08-30
Packaged: 2020-09-28 20:01:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20431625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HildegardBi/pseuds/HildegardBi
Summary: It's been four months since Ryan's died, so why can't he move on?





	1. Chapter 1

It's been a week since Ryan passed away. It's been such where Shane walks into work, sits down, and forgets. Thinks Ryan must just be running late. Then remembers. Sees the papers that haven't moved, the dust that's gathered on his--Ryan's-- monitor. The constant e-mails CC-ed to him about Buzzfeed Unsolved and what to do. It's Ryan's project. It's always been Ryan's project, his baby. Sure, Shane could keep doing it, but what's Unsolved without Ryan? Even if someone else took over, it wouldn't be the same. No one could replace Ryan, his weird mixture of excitement and way too much fear. How he could always poke fun of Ryan. How he knew how to annoy Ryan, whether it be with the Hot Daga or during filming or when Ryan was convinced something spooky was gonna get him.

Shane ran his fingers through his hair, trying to chase away his thoughts. Probably should think about something else. Something that won't make his chest feel tight and his mind feel cold and numb. It's just been so hectic and crazy. He doesn't even know what to do. The last episode of Unsolved is still technically in production. Him and Ryan were supposed to listen to the EVPs and whatever other spooky noises Ryan thought he heard. That was supposed to happen Tuesday. Ryan didn't even makeeit through Monday.

"Shane?"

"What!" Shane snapped. He span around in his chair and saw Kelsey standing behind him. "Oh. Sorry Kels."

Kelsey wasn't used to Shane yelling. Well, not angry yelling. He's always loud. At least... he was. "I wanted to know if you wanted to go out after work," she said brushing her hair behind her ear. "A few of us are going to get drinks. I thought you could... use a night out."

Shane hmphed to himself. Someone was always trying to get him to do something. Shane, you should come to lunch with us! Shane, why don't you come get coffee with me? There's a new movie out Shane! Wanna see it?

"I'm fine staying home," Shane said turning back to his screen. He hadn't even booted up his computer yet.

"Shane..."

"Kelsey." Shane sighed and rubbed his head. "Seriously. I'm just tired. It's been a long week."

"It's Monday Shane."

"Kelsey." Shane turned around and faced her. "I'm not talking about the work week. You know that."

"Shane." Kelsey stood up straighter, stared down at him. "It has been hard for all of us. I know you were close to him, but you can't pull away from the rest of us."

"That's not what I'm--"

Kelsey shook her head. "Not on purpose you're not. But anytime someone tries to talk to you or make plans with you... you just.. turn them down. We want to help you however you need, but you have to let us."

Shane looked up at her, really looking at her for the first time. She always looks so happy and cheerful and bright. Always so put together. Not right now. Her eyes are red and puffy and dark underneath. Her hair, usually neat, is knotted and frizzy. Instead of her usual bright colors, she's wearing black. "I know Kels... I mean, logically I know that... it's just... hard."

"What can we do to help then?" Kelsey asked. She waved Jen over and Jen slings her arm over Kelsey.

"How's my boy doing?" Jen smirked, but like Kelsey, her eyes are red.

Shane smiled slightly, remembering when Jen put her arms around him and Ryan, proclaiming that they were her boys. They were her boys and she loved them. She was drunk of course, and he doesn't always believe that "drunk words are sober thoughts"-- he'd like to think she meant it. "Hey Jen. Kelsey and I were just talking about what we should do tonight."

Kelsey's eyes lit up. "He's going out!" Jen exclaimed shaking Kelsey and reaching over to mess up Shane's hair. "Rally the troops!"

"Hey now! I said nothing about going out." Shane chuckles. Jen's energy is contagious. It's nice to be messing around. "But I'm not opposed to having people over."

Jen pulls away, flailing her limbs. "Wow! This is a rare opportunity! What do you think his apartment's like?" Jen smirks at Kelsey. "Think he has a shrine to Maize?" Shane laughs, an actual belly laugh. It feels good. Like laughter yoga. Maybe... maybe this will be good for him.

"It's just a drafty, creaky place. Ryan would say--" Shane cut off.

Kelsey put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "What can we bring?"

"Just yourselves. You don't need to bring anything."

"I'll bring the beer, you bring the wine?" Jen said nudging Kelsey.

Shane rolled his eyes. "Guys, seriously."

"Got it," Kelsey said smirking. Shane sighed. God, they were persistent.

"Fine, but nothing crazy, alright?"

Kelsey and Jen looked at each. "Sure Shane."

"Guys-- seriously-- you didn't- you didn't have to bring all this." Shane shook his head as Jen and Kelsey paraded through the door carrying three packs of beer, two double bottles of wine, and three bags of popcorn and chips. "Seriously."

"Yes we did," Kelsey said handing him the chips and popcorn as she placed the wine on the counter. The bags started to slip and Shane hurried to catch them before they could fall. "The three of us are gonna have a wild night."

Shane placed the chips on the counter. "This is just for the three of us?"

"Yea, we weren't gonna invite anyone without telling you," Jen said dropping the beer next to the fridge. She started putting cans away.

Shane stared at the two of them as they start taking over his kitchen-- Jen stowing the beer, Kelsey uncorking one of the bottles and starting to pour it. "Guys, seriously, this is- this is too much." Shane looked at the jumbo bag of potato chips. "I thought we were just having a movie marathon."

"A drunk movie marathon," Jen said popping the top of one of the beers. "Drink up!" She started chugging the beer.

"Seriously! Guys!" Shane shook his head. He didn't know whether to be thankful or not. The two of them were just so much chaos. It wasn't bad. Maybe it'd be fun.

Jen finished the beer and slammed it on the counter. "Better catch up you two!"

"Alright, hand me a beer," Shane conceded.

Jen smiled as she tossed him a can. "Chug chug chug!" she started chanting. She grabbed another beer for herself.

Shane smiled in defeat. "Alright, alright!" He popped the tab off and started chugging. It took him longer than it took Jen, but when he finished, her and Kelsey cheered loudly.

"What movie?" Kelsey said opening the bag of chips. Some crumbs spill out of the bag onto the floor. "I'm feeling something cheesy."

"Nah, we gotta go with an adventure," Jen disagreed taking a sip of her beer. "What about you Shane?"

Shane smiled. "Whatever you guys chose works for me."

Jen launched herself over the back of his couch and settled into the couch. She started flipping through different movies.

Kelsey started towards the couch and then stopped, picking up a beer can from the floor. "Jen, come on! The bin's right there."

"Eh, it's on the counter. I'll get it later."

Kelsey dropped the can in the bin and plopped down next to Jen. "No, it was on the floor."

"Swore I put it on the counter."

Shane shrugs, leaning on the back of the couch. "Eh, things fall."

Jen grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch, wrapping herself in it like a little burrito. Shane chuckled again. "Is it always this cold in here?"

"Yea, there's a draft or something," Shane said. He took a sip of his beer.

Kelsey snorted. "Sure. A draft. In the middle of the summer."

"Air conditioner then," Shane offered.

Jen's eyes widened, and she smiled wickedly. "I'm not sure Shane. Sounds like you have a ghost."


	2. Chapter 2

Ryan had all the proof he needed-- ghosts were real. He was a ghost. Granted, this wasn't how he wanted to get the proof, but hey, he was right. Shane could suck on it!

Okay, maybe that was extreme... it was pretty hard watching his best friend, co-worker, and co-host deal with all this. Let alone not being able to say anything to help. He'd tried making Shane realize he wasn't alone. That, yes! Ryan was right there, like he always was. He didn't know what to do. Honestly, he never thought being a ghost would be this... boring. Sad? Yea, sure. That makes sense. He's dead. It should be sad. But mostly it's just boring. And frustrating.

His friends and family are right there, and they can't see him or hear him. It's the most frustrating thing Ryan could imagine. He tried shouting at them-- when they were at his... you know. But they couldn't hear him. God, what he wouldn't give for someone to attempt a spirit box session with him right now. Just to talk to someone. That would be enough.

So when he finds out Jen and Kelsey are finally making Shane do something, and it was about time. The big guy really needed a fun night with some friends. So, why not tag along?

Ryan didn't think it was the best idea, but it beat sitting in his apartment-- well, old apartment-- not doing anything. Sure, they weren't likely to actually pull out a spirit box or-- god forbid-- a ouija board, but hey, maybe he could move something. Let them know he was there. He'd been practicing at work. Ryan chuckled to himself-- not like anyone else could hear him anyway. He had switched around some of Shane's documents as part of a fun prank, and a way to practice... he doesn't really know... being a ghost? Ghostly activities? Whatever he was practicing, Shane thought the prank was pretty funny-- especially when no one fessed up and they started teasing him that the ghosts had found him. It actually got Shane to crack a smile, which had been exceedingly rare since... well, you get it.

But when Ryan followed Jen and Kelsey into Shane's apartment, he couldn't help but feel worse. He was right there. Right there and his friends had no clue. Goddamn, why does being a ghost have to be so depressing? It was supposed to be fun. He was supposed to haunt his enemies and see the world and find out what locations he visited really did have ghosts. See what else was real. Prove it to Shane. Which he might as well try to do tonight.

So when Jen left her beer on the counter, he tried knocking it down. Just to give Shane some proof. But of course, it didn't work. Not when Shane was looking. When it finally fell over, Ryan wanted to yell at Shane, "Look! I did that! A ghost did that!" But obviously he couldn't.

It did lead to Kelsey and Jen teasing Shane about having a ghost on his tail, which was always funny to watch. Shane could always find some explanation for things that Ryan thought was definitive proof. A beer can on the floor and a slight draft was not going to be enough to prove it to him. What would even be enough proof at this point?

Shane laughed. "Oh boy, here we go again!"

"No, seriously!" Kelsey said pulling her feet next to her on the couch and covering them with some of the blanket Jen was hogging. "Your apartment's kinda creepy. Do you hear all that creaking?" The three of them were silent for a second. There was some creaking coming from the wood floor.

Shane waved his hand. "That's just the building settling. It's not a new apartment. It's got all sorts of noises."

"A ghost could pop up in front of you and you'd say it's the wind," Jen huffed turning a movie on. "Now both of you shut up. We're gonna enjoy tonight."

Kelsey raised an eyebrow at Shane, and burst out laughing. "How are we gonna have fun if we can't talk?"

"You know what I mean. Now shut it!"

Shane and Kelsey giggled again, and this time, Jen laughed with them. Shane was glad they had forced themselves into coming over. It was nice not being alone. His apartment always felt so empty. It was nice to have some life in it.

Shane snorted to himself and took another drink from his can. It's not like there was anything dead in it anyway. Not like anything dead could be in it. Now that would be ridiculous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to write a little more tonight. Hopefully I'll be able to write a longer chapter soon.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How does Shane get himself in these messes?

"Shane, where's your zester?" Steven asked looking around the kitchen.

"My-my what now?" Shane shook his head. How had the Worth It Boys convinced him to do this? It's bad enough that his landlord's been pranking him with rearranging stuff willy nilly, but now the Worth It Boys decided it'd be fun to cook a fancy gourmet meal with him. And of course, that meant using fancy things like lemon zest. No truffle to be seen yet. Shane didn't know how he'd react if Steven whipped out truffle. Probably eat it all in one bite.

"Steven, not everyone has a zester," Andrew said. "Use his cheese grater."

Steven gasped and clutched at his chest as he exclaimed, "Use his cheese grater? That's not how zesting works! Have you ever tried to use a cheese grater to zest a lemon? It just doesn't work!"

Andrew sighed. "Alright then. No lemon zest."

"You can't just change the recipe! It needs the acidity!" Steven was downright flabbergasted at this point. It was actually pretty hilarious.

An idea started to form in Shane's mind, and although Steven might kill him for it, he couldn't help himself. He grabbed a knife, cut the lemon in half, and squeezed it over the scallops. "Shane! NO!" Steven yelled. "They're too delicate!"

Andrew chuckled as Shane started finding more ingredients to put on the scallops. "They need more flavor Steven!" Shane joked grabbing the first thing he could reach from his cabinet. When he started sprinkling it on, Steven gasped audibly.

"Shane! Since when do you have edible gold?"

"What-- no, this isn't--" Shane looked at the container. What the... "Alright, which one of you brought this over?"

"Shane, I love you, but I'd never spend that much money for you. That must've been over a hundred dollars!" Steven reached over and grabbed the edible gold from Shane. "Wow! Do you mind if I--?"

Shane snorted. What would he even do with edible gold? "Sure, knock yourself out."

"Where did you even get edible gold?" Andrew asked peering over Steven's shoulder. "And why?"

Shane rolled his eyes. "I didn't, alright? One of you must have brought it on accident."

"And put it in your cabinet?" Andrew raised his eyebrows at Shane.

It didn't make logical sense. It really didn't. But how else could it have gotten there?

Ryan was beside himself. Sure, it had taken lots of energy and planning to sneak edible gold from the Tasty kitchen in Steven's bag of goodies, and even more stealth and energy to put it into not only Shane's cabinet, but Shane's hand when he reached into the cabinet, but fucking hell, it was worth it. The big guy was dumbfounded!

Maybe he would finally start to catch on.

Ryan snorted to himself. That was getting less likely with each day, but that didn't matter right now. He couldn't wait to see what else he could to do to mess with Steven's precious scallops. Maybe some ghost pepper...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know each chapter is pretty short, but I want to update based on my schedule. It's probably going to be a lot of one-shots with various Buzzfeed staff, so let me know any other characters you might want to see! I'll try to make the next chapter longer.


	4. Chapter 4

Ryan was starting to give up on ever making Shane believe in ghosts. Everything he moved, Shane chalked up to something else-- usually blaming his building manager. So Ryan had to stop that. He didn't want Shane to get someone fired.

And even though Ryan was getting better at the whole haunting thing, finally getting himself to appear in the mirror one night as Shane was brushing his teeth, Shane just rubbed his eyes, sighed, and muttered, "He's gone. I just need to sleep."

Basically, nothing was going to make Shane believe. But maybe one of their other friends might actually catch on if Ryan haunted them. It was worth a try, and not like he had anything better to do.

Shane had finally finished rearranging all his drawers back to how they were. He would have to talk to his building manager if it happened again. Even if they were coming in to fix something, they shouldn't rearrange his whole house to do it. It was getting pretty tiresome.

That plus all the visits from friends and family over the past few weeks were really beginning to drain him. Usually he could just curl up in bed with Obi after they all left, and just take some time for himself, but Obi had been acting weird lately. Hissing at nothing, and being more skittish. Shane should probably get him some more toys, Maybe an actual scratching post tower. Obi probably just needed to get his energy out. It wasn't a huge apartment. Hopefully his next place would have more room for his furry friend.

He pulled his dinner out of the microwave and a beer from the fridge, ready to finally just have a night to himself watching a stupid movie. At this point, Jen and Kelsey had made themselves regular visitors. Even Steven and Andrew were stopping by to drop off pre-cooked meals. They even stayed one night to help Shane reorganize his pantry. Of course Steven had been appalled by the contents. It had been pretty funny watching his face scrunch up as he stared at Shane's limited selection of food.

It was nice having them visit, but between work and... and everything else, Shane was ready for a quiet night. He popped the top of his beer, ready to hit play, when someone knocked at the door.

He checked his phone. No one had said anything about coming over. Fucking christ, was it to the point where people were going to show up unannounced? Where were their manners? If he opened the door and Kelsey and Jen were standing there with even more beer and wine, he'd give them a piece of his mind.

Shane opened the door. "You know, most people would let me know they're coming, rather than showing up," Shane snorted before taking another sip of beer.

"I'm sorry. Your phone number changed since I last saw you, and I didn't have any other way to get in contact." Shane almost spit out his beer as he realized who was at his door.

"Father Thomas! I didn't-- sorry, come in," Shane stammered stepping out of the way. Father Thomas chuckled slightly as he shrugged off his coat and folded it neatly. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Father Thomas placed his coat down on the back of the couch. "I like to check up on you two every now and again, just to make sure you haven't got into some sort of trouble." He sighed and shook his head. Shane chuckled nervously. He hoped Father Thomas hadn't actually seen any of their videos. Shane had dialed it back a bit with taunting the demons, but no where near as much as Father Thomas would like. "You can imagine how worried I was for you when Ryan died."

"Oh, no," Shane explained hurriedly. "He didn't die on set. It wasn't-- it wasn't anything like that." Not that anything like that could happen. With everything Shane said to the supposed demons and ghosts, he should be dead by now. At the very least, he should be haunted.

"I'm aware of that," Father Thomas said softly. "I was worried about how you were doing. Losing a close friend... losing a loved one... that is one of the hardest things we can go through."

"Thank you," Shane said rubbing his neck. He wasn't very religious. He wasn't even spiritual. He believed in science, and he believed in what could be proved. He was supposed to be enjoying a quiet dinner, not a theological discussion. As nice as Father Thomas was, he didn't want to be told that Ryan was in a better place, that everything happened for a reason, that "God" had a plan for everyone.

"I wanted to let you know..." Oh boy, here it comes. Shane smiled, but it felt more like a grimace. "I am here if you ever need someone to talk to." Okay, now that is unexpected. "I know you don't believe in God or the church, but it is important that you have support. I know it has been some time since he died."

Shane cleared his throat. "Yea... about two weeks."

"I am sorry I wasn't able to talk to you sooner. How have you been?" Father Thomas asked.

Shane shrugged. "It's been okay. My co-workers have been coming over, giving me meals and stuff like that."

"I'm glad you have people looking out for you," Father Thomas said smiling slightly. "You and Ryan... you're both good people. Just... try to be a bit more respectful of certain things." Father Thomas was looking at a picture on Shane's wall. Shane looked over his shoulder and winced at the poster of him and Ryan in their matching boots posing in front of a demon. One of the editors who worked on the Hot Data had made it. It was probably Shane's favorite picture in his apartment. "Just because you can't see something or prove something, doesn't mean it's there."


End file.
